Monday, April 06, 2009

Major casualty - Press Gazette, death of journalism's caretakers

Major casualty - death of journalism's caretakers. The phrase may seem a bit melodramatic, indeed the "caretaker" bit, but that's what The Press Gazette has been doing for all these years.

A magazine that looks at the journalism industry and goes beyond the headlines, seeking much needed comment and analysis.

There have been a number of high profile casualties, particularly in the US. The Press Gazette will be a huge loss for the UK industry.

Its absence from the shop shelves may go unnoticed, just about, but the wider impact on journalism in the long run will be deep; the lack of insight by those in the know sharing their wisdom and knowledge with outsiders will be marked.

It's difficult to think of how they'll salvage something, as only two years ago their fate also hung in the balance until a reprieve.

My thanks to its staff and Dominic, the editor. I owe him a huge debt of gratitude. In 2004, when I sensed a way of exploring the web and online, pushing embedded video, hypervideo, multimedia stories, Dominic got it.

What started off as a 10 minute meeting in a pub ran for an hour plus as we explored some of the new questions about to impact multimedia, video and the web.

Five months later I was awarded the Batten Award for first place. Dominic must have seen something beyond me waxing about a future of near science fiction.

My heart felt thanks and deepest acknowledgments.